Stranger Things came out of absolutely nowhere to massive acclaim. The series managed to balance a brilliantly talented central cast with out and out horror, well observed nostalgia and a conspiracy plot that didn’t collapse under its own weight.

Two episodes into series 2, the ‘difficult second album’ bug many feared would strike has. But the good news is, not in a big way.

‘MADMAX’ opens almost a year after the end of season 1. Mike is becoming increasingly angry and distant from his friends and family. Will is being coddled by everyone. Dustin and Lucas are good naturedly competing. Mike and Nancy are dealing with the fallout of season. Jonathan is happy by himself. Joyce has a boyfriend! And Hopper has a secret.

The simple fact that took a paragraph tells you the show’s density and character focused approach is intact. The cast are all still great too, especially the central kids. Finn Wolfhard brings some of the edge that made his work on IT so good to the role and it makes Mike far more interesting and untidy. Gaten Matarazzo remains one of the most fundamentally likable, genuine performers I’ve seen in years and his scene at the end of episode 2 is the best moment so far.

But it’s Noah Schnapp and Caleb McLaughlin who really register. Schnapp was a vital, and passive part of season 1 and he brings the same sweetness to Will this year. But there’s a bleakness to him too. Will is the zombie boy, the kid who came back to life. And he’s not sure he wanted to.

Caleb McLaughlin gets more to do in these two episodes than he had in the entirety of season 1. He and Matarazzo bounce off each other perfectly and they’re clearly positioned here as the pseudo comic relief, unburned by the plot angst Will and Mike have. The band are back together but they’re not entirely happy about it and the four kids do a great job of showing that conflict between nostalgia and the truth.

Elsewhere newcomers Paul Reiser and Sean Astin are both great as the new face of Hawkins Laboratory and Joyce’s boyfriend respectively, and Winona Ryder and David Harbour continue to be fantastic. Sadie Sink and Dacre Montgomery fare a little less well. Sink as Max, the new girl and instant crush of Dustin and Lucas, doesn’t do much besides get established in these two episodes. Montgomery, excellent in the unfairly unsuccessful Power Rangers movie, rocks a mullet, a Trans Am and Ted Nugent galore as her older brother. So far, they’re both architecture rather than characters but the intent, and talent, is there.

Where the season works is in how unflinchingly it looks at the horrific events of the last year. Steve and Nancy, who again were less than gripping for a lot of last season, get one of the best sequences so far as they have dinner with Barb’s parents. Nancy in particular is instantly way more interesting this year, tormented by the loss of her friend and the town’s apparent apathy towards it. Likewise, Will’s PTSD and Joyce’s desperate need to care for her son all hit home. Plus, the mystery that slowly works through these two episodes is gripping, subtle and disturbing.

Unfortunately the music isn’t. The expertly crafted season 1 electronica is still there but it’s almost drowned out by a ridiculous amount of ’80s pop. Seriously, about once every five minutes a new song hits and it starts to feel a little desperate. The second episode calms down a lot and, honestly, needed to. The show worked first time around because it didn’t push this stuff. This season it needs to remember that.

But these are minor quibbles. So far season 2 has built on season 1 in the most interesting way possible and given an expanded cast an equal amount of interesting things to do.

Verdict: If it can shake off the early jitters, and I think it can, then this is going to be another terrible year for Hawkins and another great year for us.

Chapter 1 ‘MADMAX’ 6/10

Chapter 2 ‘Trick or Treat, Freak’ 7/10 

Alasdair Stuart